Friday, April 4, 2014

Nebraska
law enforcement knew it was inevitable.

Nebraska
marijuana tourists say it can’t come too quickly.

The
arrival of a recreational marijuana outlet on the Nebraska/Colorado border appears
to be just weeks away.

On April 1st the citizens of Sedgwick,
Colorado (or at least the 27 who voted yes in the tiny town) approved new taxes for
wholesale and retail sales of marijuana.

The owner of Sedgwick Alternative
Relief plans to drive to Denver Monday to file an application to expand his
medical cannabis operation, including over-the-counter sales to any legal buyer
who wants it. State regulators must act on the paperwork inside a 45 to 90 day
window. Owner Mike Kollartis, recently received permission to operate at another
location closer to Denver. He’s cleared the security background already and expects
quick approval of the application.

Product on display at Sedgwick Alternative Relief

As
NET News reported last summer, Nebraska law enforcement officials have been wary of the
Sedgwick operation from the first day it opened. To date, there have been no reports linking
the store to illegal sales. A larger concern is the legal sale to out-of-state
residents who will try to bring it across the border illegally.

“It’s
going to be a problem,” Duell County Sheriff Adam Hayward told me in June. “You’re
going to see a lot more people from back east or up north pick it up and turn
around because you know it shortens their drive time by four hours.”

The
town of Sedgwick embraced being northeastern Colorado’s only pot outpost. Tax
dollars from the current sales already enriched the municipal budget.

On
Tuesday voters approved a five dollar sales tax on individual pot purchases and
additional surcharges on future bulk marijuana sales from the planned indoor
pot-farming operation. Combined the taxes could add tens of thousands additional
dollars to the Sedgwick treasury.

Official tally from Sedgwick pot tax vote

Opponents to expanding marijuana were swamped
at the polls. Only four of the 31 people who cast ballots voted against the new
taxes.

The
store manager estimates sales could average at $2000 a day. There is no reliable estimate of how much
revenue will come from Nebraskans taking advantage of the neighbor’s relaxed
laws. As of January 1st out-of-state visitors over the age of 21 can
legally purchase and carry ¼ ounce at a time. Sedgwick is a three mile drive
off I-80 and six miles from the border by the county roads south of Chappell,
Nebraska. Last year I asked both the Nebraska State Patrol and the state's Attorney General if if would be useful to launch a public information campaign reminding residents that using legally in Colorado didn't translate to bringing it back to Nebraska for private use. Both said they didn't consider that approach as useful.

The owners of
the Sedgwick store are already planning ahead. Initially sales will continue in
the double-wide trailer placed on a vacant Main Street lot. The building next
door has already been purchased and plans in the works for its renovation into
a combination grow-house and significantly expanded marijuana retail operation.